America’s top Catholic bishops have slammed Vice President JD Vance’s attempt to lecture Pope Leo XIV on the religion he converted to six years ago.
Bishop James Massa, 65, issued a statement on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine on Wednesday after Vance, 41, tried to school the pope on what defines just war theory during a Turning Point USA event the day before.
“For over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war,” Massa’s statement begins. “A constant tenet of that thousand-year tradition is a nation can only legitimately take up the sword ‘in self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2308).”
“That is, to be a just war it must be a defense against another who actively wages war, which is what the Holy Father actually said: ‘He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,’” the statement continued.
“When Pope Leo XIV speaks as supreme pastor of the universal Church, he is not merely offering opinions on theology, he is preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ. The consistent teaching of the Church is insistent that all people of goodwill must pray and work toward lasting peace while avoiding the evils and injustices that accompany all wars.”
The Daily Beast reached out to Vance’s office and the USCCB for comment.
Though Vance is not mentioned by name, the statement is no doubt in response to his remarks over the pontiff’s criticism of President Donald Trump’s war on Iran.
The peace-promoting pope, 70, had said on Friday that “God does not bless any conflict,” condemning the U.S. military action in Iran as not actively working toward peace and adding that Christians are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
“I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology,” Vance said on Tuesday. “If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful, you’ve got to make sure it’s anchored in the truth.”
“How can you say that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword?” he asked, referring to the Allied victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. “There is a thousand-year, more than a thousand-year tradition of just war theory, OK?”
The just war theory in Catholic doctrine was developed by Christian minds such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine; the latter, Vance says, he has adopted as his patron saint.
Leo has a much closer connection to the Catholic philosopher, given that he previously served as the Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine for more than a decade and is the first-ever pope from his order.
While Vance was preaching his own gospel on Tuesday, the pope was planting an olive tree at the site of St. Augustine’s death in Hippo, in modern-day Algeria.
Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019 at the age of 35. His forthcoming memoir about his conversion to Catholicism, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, features a United Methodist church on its cover.
